Deuteronomy chapter 10, we're still going through our study in
the book of Deuteronomy, but we're trusting that's going to
be a life-changing word regardless, even though we're
going through a chapter by chapter, we still believe that
it is living and has something for us right now.
Let's pray one more time, okay? As we, as we do this together,
father in Jesus name, Many people in here, might be
exhausted after conference. And in coming here, in the
beginning of the week to work, or to go to school below.
We're here. And we need another touch even
though we were touched last week and we still need fresh bread.
We can't survive a day without you.
So Lord, we just pray for total Clarity Precision, Lord, freedom
from confusion, and even more a conviction for those who need
it, father and a comfort for those who equally needed.
And where we That in this time. As we rehearse, these truths we
would leave here refreshed with the knowledge of who you are.
Lord, it's still on my heart to pray for the young preacher that
took his own life. This week, we lift up, Jared,
Wilson's, family to you, Lord, we don't have the answers to
questions, but father, we pray for his wife and we pray for his
to baby boy, is Lord. We ask for a supernatural peace,
to come upon them. We pray for the church Lord.
We pray for the people that might be.
Be wondering how a leader can come to that point and we pray
just for a comfort to come as well and assistance from your
Holy Spirit to bring a Serenity in a trust that you're in
control. Lord, we think of Isaiah 61
father, when King Uzziah died as I said, and I saw the Lord.
And so Lord, despite death, and despite disappointment, or we
choose to look at you and see that you are seated, high and
lifted up. Father, we just pray that if
anybody in here, In despair to the point where they don't see
another day Worth Living. Lord, you would Breathe, hope
through this word and that, it would bring a sense of trust in
you. Lord.
And father, we think of, even the song that we just sang, I
Believe In the resurrection and I believe that Jesus will come
again. Lord, we sometimes in these
moments aching in pain wish for that day to be.
Now, that you would come and sweep this up from this world,
from Temptation, from sin, from all these broken, things that we
hear Or of and experience. Lord, come and rescue us.
We say with the spirit, come Lord, Jesus, we anticipate your
return until then, teach us what you want us to know.
In Jesus name we pray, amen. Think it serves.
Purpose to remind ourselves where we left off.
Remember the whole point of the book of Deuteronomy is simply
this that God is speaking through Moses to this generation
of Israelites to go into the promised land, which symbolizes
the central desire for his will for their lives filled with
blessing and purpose, it's the same thing for you.
And I but it comes with conditions because we can enter
into the, will of God, like, many people have, but then
forfeited or walk away from it or Spradley come in and out of
it. And what Moses is teaching, the
people is how to remain in longevity for their purpose in
God. And we talked about many things,
talked about the warning of enemies that await we talked
about the Enemy Within my own heart that refuses to fear God
that refuses to love God. We talked about last time we
were together two main things in chapter 9 and that was this the
practice of remembering our past not just our past in general but
our past failures we go I try to forget my past why would I want
to remember it? Because there's a holy purpose
in that and it is not to Cripple me or condemn me or remove hope
for a brighter day tomorrow for God to use me or to reveal
himself to me. No is to remember what happened
in the past. To not repeat it again to
remember the pain that Hold the shame and to bring that memory
before me so that when Temptation comes and says hey
this is going to feel really good or hey, you're really going
to get away with it or hey, this is a better route than God's
route. You will go.
I done it my way and I remember that feeling, I remember who I
heard, I remember I grieve. God no, thank you.
That's what we remember our past.
And we also remember our past failures to Relish in the
Limitless grace of God to realize, he's forgiven me.
And he is good to me. And so that's what we talked
about. There was a second thing.
Moses repeated himself in chapter 9 reminding them of
despite their failures specifically five failures and
five different locations. He was up on a mountain on his
face for 40 days and 40 nights interceding for them. what was
the danger in chapter 9 that they would come into the
promised land and say, all of this good stuff is happening
because I'm righteous and Moses by the spear goes.
Hmm, actually you failed many times.
So let's go back and remember that and to while you were there
failing, I was there interceding.
I was crying out to God for you. And so Moses was reminding him
of his position. As a mediator reminding them
that it was his crying out to God.
That even brought them to this place where we are in
Deuteronomy, right at the border between the Wilderness and the
promised land. And so he's reminding that
you're here by grace and whatever you experience in the
promised land. That is all by Grace.
But now we come to chapter 10 and Moses wants to go from that
point to explain further truth. And so from verse 1, remember
the last thing we read was He just cried out to God for them
and now he says something else here verse 1.
It says at that time, the Lord said to me at what time the
time--where you failed over and over again.
And I lay prostrate before God and cried out to you at that
time. The Lord said to me, cut for
yourself, two tablets of stone, like the first and come up to me
on the mountain and make an arc of wood.
And I will write on the tablets, the words that were on the first
tablets that you broke and you shall put them in the ark. so
chapter 10 tells us the result of his prayers he saying,
because I prayed for you, let me let me remind you remember
chapter divisions, aren't inspired You know, verses and
chapters those weren't in the original text, those are there
for our sake and for our reference much later than when
the scriptures were written. So there's a flow here.
So remove the 10 there and it's a continuation of thought.
I've been praying for you, and here's the result of me standing
in the gap for you. God spoke and God said, cut two
tablets for me. In other words because of my
Ministry and my position, as a mediator, despite your failures.
You now have a renewed relationship with God.
God desires to renew Covenant with you.
God desires to restore fellowship with you.
God desires to resume the program in the plan that he has
had for you but that is based on Not Your Righteous.
Remember he still hammering this point.
It's not your righteousness. I stood in the gap for you.
And we have to understand this because this is a picture of the
New Covenant that Jesus Christ. The greater Moses does the same
for you and I on a daily basis on a daily basis.
We fail on a daily basis, and instead of cutting ourselves off
from the blessings of God cutting ourselves off from the
goodness of God, there is one, who is pleading for us from a
once and for all sacrifice, granting us restoration and
reconciliation with the father So this is what they are
rehearsing and this is what we need to rehearse as well.
That there is one who stands in the gap for me.
When I fail, I come to him and he restores Fellowship from my
failure, but notice an emphasis here, he says cut for me to
stones. So, in this case, the Covenant
being restored to restored is in the expression of these two
Tablets by Stone written by God, to re stablish the commitment
from the people towards God. But I read slowly look what it
says here in verse 1 cup for yourself, two, tablets of stone
like the first, like the first you go to verse tune.
And I will write on the tablets, the words that were on the first
tablets. Then you come to verse three.
Cut two tablets of stone like the first and he says the same
thing in verse 4. So he is very specific in his
instructions. He's saying, listen, we're going
to restore this Covenant, we're going to restore this
commitment, and this contract, but when you make these Stones,
I want you to copy paste. The same ones that you broke.
When did he break them? He came down from Exodus 32 in
the mountain and he saw them all dancing around having a club
party time around the golden calf.
He was so angry. He broke those stones so they
have to restore those stones and he says I want them the same way
that I made them originally. What does that mean?
This is what it means. That despite of the failure of
the people to keep the commands of God, God has no intention
ever to change his laws. God will never change his
righteous standard even if we fail to keep them.
His word is eternal, his Holiness remains.
And so we might look at the word and go, that seems kind of
severe and God does not budge because God's laws are an
expression of his character. And so when he tells Moses do it
the same way as before, not because they failed, I'm going
to change and I'll bring him okay.
You know what? Yeah, you could commit adultery.
I see that. You can't contain yourself and
you can covet a little bit. I see that, you know, where
human he goes. Nope.
Same standard. Unchanging.
And that's important for us to understand because the issue is
not with God's laws. See people failing over and over
over again. People that want to create
sexuality marriage their own way.
It's not because God's laws are out of touch with culture or do
not meet the human need or do not lead us to True Joy.
Like that's not the reason it's not God's laws its human hearts.
That is the problem that is the issue and so the solution is not
to change the tablets of stone that God had already created and
established in heaven. It's the change.
Another type of stone. Can you guess what that stone
is? Ezekiel 36:26 tells us that part
of the New Covenant is not God removing his righteous
standards. It's not God, minimizing it or
excluding some commands. That's not God's standard.
What God is going to do is he's going to keep his righteous laws
on those tablets of stone. But he's going to come into the
cavity of our chest, open it up. Take what?
I will remove the Heart of Stone from your flesh.
And give you a heart of Flesh. That's the standard.
You know what many people have this misunderstanding about the
Old and New Testament? They go Old Testament.
Pretty severe. Those commands seem pretty
strict. Is it really though in
comparison to the New Testament, You have the Ten Commandments do
not commit. Adultery, you go to Jesus and he
says, yeah, if you look at a woman with lust, you've already
done it, Don't commit murder. If we're honest with ourselves
we have a lot of murders in this place according to New Covenant.
Because if you have unrighteous anger towards your brother,
you've killed them. So is the New Testament really?
A lightening up on the law? Or is it an increase in the
standard According To Jesus? It is, but even with that
standard being set up by the Lord or clarifying what these
laws are all about. He provides a solution and it's
not diminishing, its law, it's changing your heart and mine.
And this gospel truth is right here and it continues because
she says, I want you to take these 10 commandments these
tablets and I want you to put them in an arc.
You know, what does that mean? Why in the ark?
Remember the ark. We talked about this chess piece
called The Arc, that would follow the Israelites Into the
Wilderness, through the Wilderness and into the promised
land. And this golden Ark piece would
physically, symbolize the presence of God amongst the
people and so Moses was given instruction to build it.
And one man best lay ill, he was the one who implemented and
executed it, but Moses received instruction take the tablets and
put it in the arc. Why is that significant because
this Arc served a purpose? And the purpose was not just in
the fact that it was the Manifest presence of God, in a
physical sense, the lid, the lid of that Arc was called something
and it had a specific purpose in relationship to the law.
Bible study, not sermon. Feels like it, I get it.
But what is the lid mean, or what is the lid named?
The Mercy Seat. The Mercy Seat.
So I'm going to read this from Exodus 25 20 When he was
receiving instruction, it says the cherubim, these Heavenly
Creatures would be planted on this Mercy.
See and they should spread their wings above overshadowing.
The mercy seat with their wings, their faces towards one.
Another toward The Mercy Seat, shall the faces of the cherubim
be. And you shall put the mercy seat
on the top of the arc and the arc, you shall put the testimony
that I shall give you. So even back in Exodus 20:5,
this whole thing was to carry. The Ten Commandments but The
Mercy Seat would cover the Ten Commandments.
So what's the idea? There there is a sermon being
preached there that the tablets of stone which condemned, man
and bring men into judgment are hidden and are covered and is
Shield by the mercy of God. By the mercy of God, is those as
the indictment and the punishment that we deserve, as
we Face, the commands of God, it is all protected and covered by
God's mercy, but that Mercy, wasn't just automatically
implemented. Because there is a practice that
the Israelites needed to hold to to activate that Mercy on a
yearly basis. What was that practice?
It's a feast. That they were to keep once a
year. What was it?
Another one, the day of what? Atonement Leviticus 16, 14, that
one day out of the year, a high priest will walk in and he would
take blood from his sacrifice and sprinkle it on the mercy
seat. And so it was the blood of
another sacrifice upon the mercy seat, that would activate that
mercy and keep them Mercy flowing and covering with the
laws should do to us. And that is slay us.
Here's a picture of what happens when you remove Mercy.
There was one time that this golden chest piece was removed
from the camp of Israel, and the Philistines took it.
And when the Philistines took it, it took a few months for
them to realize that we're messing with a true and living
God plagues broke out. It was a mess, so they say,
let's bring this art back and they bring it back.
And once they bring it back out of excitement, the Israelites
realized the ark is back and so they come up to the ark and they
do something that they shouldn't have done.
The ESV doesn't do justice here to explain what happened.
If you have new King, James new King, James or nasb, it tells us
In 1st Samuel 619. Look what happens.
So, this are comes back and they're all freaking out.
They're all excited. They come up to this golden
piece and it's a holy thing, but they do something Unholy.
He struck some of the men have Beth Shemesh because they looked
upon the ark. See the ESV says upon, anybody
have new King James. What does it say?
Okay, if you're there, could you read it for us into the are?
so, according to that, what they had done is they have come up to
the arc They remove the lid. And they looked into it and when
they looked into it, here's a picture.
Yes, they touch something that was holding.
When the God said, don't touch the holy thing because your
Unholy, but I like the picture there, that they remove the
mercy seat, and the law was exposed killing them.
And so we Here, gospel truth from Deuteronomy chapter 10.
That all of these symbolic things, tell us something that
we are in need of God's grace. God's covering God's blood to
Shield us from what we deserve and that is total, condemnation
and destruction because of our sin and our Disobedience, the
law. So, he says these things and
then in verse 12, we skip through these things because we
cover them in our last Bible study.
And now Israel verse 12 of chapter 10, what does the Lord
your God require of you? That's a humbling question.
That's a sobering question. We've been hearing what God had
done for them, how God had responded to the intercession of
Moses. And now, after all these
wonderful things being explained he goes now here's the question.
God requires something of you. What is it?
Now, we look at that. We go, I'm getting uncomfortable
here. Requirement, you've been talking
about Grace and you've been talking about God's mercy and
provision. That's all true.
But Just be realistic here for any relationship to be
maintained in a healthy way. There are requirements from both
parties and both parties have to meet those requirements.
For relationship to be sustained and experience and flourished
with the most of abundance and joy, and blessing requirements
are laid down and they have to be met.
So now, God, turns the table and says, I've given you so much and
I am now requiring of you these very things.
Now we've touched on a lot of these things.
He says, fear the lord your God Walk in all his ways, love him,
serve the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your
soul, and to keep the Commandments and statues of the
Lord, which Commanding you today for your good?
See I love that last part for your good.
It's not for you too because you're because I did this for
you, you better do this for me. It's actually for your good to
do it. Only if we would believe it for
your good but this is what I want to focus on because Moses.
He's a preacher, he's preaching whole sermon, it's a long
sermon. We're only halfway through it.
Barely And when Moses is doing here is he's laying out the
requirements. But with every requirement he
brings a reason because this is what God requires for you and he
goes, here's the reason. This is the response that God
wants from you, but here's why. So he gives a reason in order to
motivate them. So when they hear these
Commandments, they have fuel to say.
Yeah. Yeah.
I'm gonna do that. I really want to obey, I really
want to submit to fearing God into obeying God and loving God,
he gives reasons and we touched on the We touch on the fear of
God, loving God, with all your heart mind.
So we touch on all this for this study.
I want to look at the reasons. I see three main reasons for us
to dive into the deep end of obedience and total surrender.
I mean, you come to the edge of the cliff and some people are
flirting with that and they go, I don't want to jump someone,
let my foot hang over there. I might hang over my hands.
I'm talking about reasons for us to be able to boldly and
confidently, launch ourselves into the arms of God and total
obedience. He says here, in verse 14,
here's the one reason behold so he says, check it out.
Modern term. Realize this feel this.
No, this absorb, this behold to the Lord, your God, belong,
Heaven, and the heaven of Heavens.
The Earth with all that is in it.
So pretty much wants to say listen, obey.
God follow God. Serve God.
Give everything to God, why? Because God owns everything.
You know, there's some people that might feel a sense of
Honor. If they know somebody else that
might be a possessor of great things that my own a specific
type of business with a specific amount of Revenue that my own
specific amount of houses or luxury cars or lands.
And you might have this sense where, you know, this person you
go, I know. So and so and this is what they
own and this is the toys that they have.
And this is what they do and there's this sense of almost
privileging I'm buddies with this guy.
Yeah, I got this guy's a cell. Phone number He invites me here
and there to go out to his place over there in Switzerland or
whatever. And what Moses is trying to say
is, do you realize who your God is?
He is the architect. The manager and the owner of
everything of everything. God literally owns every tier of
every atmosphere that you can imagine.
That's why he says heaven. And the heaven of heavens.
He owns all of it. Next time you fly out and you
pass through those clouds and you see the Horizon, you realize
God owns all of it. You scale through those
mountains, you look into the Horizon.
You go to the beach and you see those waves crashing go.
God owns all of this. Earlier this year, my brother
and I had a chance to go to a specific place in the world
that's known for its Majestic Beauty in the natural sense and
that was Iceland. And we kept driving because you
feel like when you go to Iceland you feel like you're in a
completely different world. There is barely any thing of
Life there even animals. It's just these Grand mountains,
you're driving 15 minutes and it's snowing and it's a blizzard
and 30 minutes later it's sunshine.
And you see the Green Mountains with the muddy skip?
You just realized it's just a different planet, almost And the
question that keep recurring to me and I was saying it to my
brother in the car, like Pete who owns this land, like, you'll
see this tiny little house in behind a house.
Is this Majestic Peak Mountain? You go.
Is that the guys backyard? I don't understand who owns all
of this land, whose who, like, does the government owned?
It is there even a government? And I said, I haven't seen a
police car for so long. What's going on here?
What is this land? All about, and it dawned on me,
it belongs to God. Anyway, It's all his. so the
ocean is, is pool and the mountain, never mind the
mountain, the Earth Is His footstool And that's your God.
And that's my God. If you're going to link with
anybody, if there's anyone that you want to boast in, it's not
in your successful buddy. It's not in the one that owns
this and that it's the god that claims everything.
There's a verse in the Bible that I often love to pray
whenever it comes to specifically asking God for a
need. Let me read it to you.
We can put up on the screen. It's in Psalms 50 verse 10 and
12 Look What the Lord says. He says for every beast of the
forest is mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.
I know all the birds of the hills and all that moves in.
The field is mine. If I were hungry, I would not
tell you why for the world and its fullness are mine.
A preacher made this beautiful illustration concerning the
return of Christ. We believe in a millennial
Reign, we believe that Jesus Christ will come back physically
and will plant his feet on a mountain, that mountain will
split into and Jesus Will begin a physical Kingdom on this Earth
in which he will rule. The nations with an iron
scepter, and all people of all placed will come to worship on
the Mount of the lord. We believe that.
But the person expressed how it will be when Jesus Christ comes
and it would many things are going to be happening.
But here's one thing he expressed that when he comes he
will stretch forth his hand over all creation and he will state
in fatica lie. Mine mine, mine mine, it's all
mine. How silly is it going to be when
people who have lived for? The things of this world will
have to Forfeit in the end to the one who claims it all in his
name anyway. He's the owner of everything.
That's what he says in verse 14. But then he says here in verse
15 yet. So in spite of the fact that he
is so above, I mean, everything is his own yet as though to say
realize this about how awesome he is the Lord set his heart in
Love on your father's and chose their offspring after them you
Above All Peoples as you are this day.
So, he says in essence. That though he is above and
though he owns all things he still in his heart sets his
affection on you and on me, he's in love.
He is stirred towards us. He saves us and this owner of
all things, brings us into his family and calls us his own.
See what Moses trying to do, he's trying to stir the hearts
to realize how this whole thing is relational.
And so, he's saying his affection is set on.
You don't don't miss out on that that any good that he does to.
You is not just because you are fulfilling something called
obedience, it's not just because you're obeying.
Some things is he going to bless you?
The same book tells us why he gives us good things.
Why He blesses us? Why he protects us?
Why he provides for us? It's in chapter 28 of the same
book verse 63. It's the first part it says, and
as the Lord took the light, that's why, oh, he took Delight
in doing you good and multiplying you it pleased him.
It pleased him 63 of chapter 28, says that it's stirred him like
a father that takes pleasure in giving good things to his
children. God the one who owns all things
the universe is in his name. Says, I take so much delight in
blessing. You So as much as you are in
that moment, experiencing the goodness of God, where you are
at one point in the week, bubbling up, because you realize
God has been too good to you realize that at the same time,
there is a God in heaven, that is bubbling with that same Joy
even more as you relish and experience his favor.
Like this God, you know what the other deities do?
They according to historical understandings, they would try
to make you convince them that they are worthy of rain or crops
fertility. And this God is not like the
gods of the world. Like, even to this day, there
are people who worship the god of the sun and there are people
who worship the god of the ocean.
They're in charge of the ocean. They make the waves come, they
make hurricanes happy. So let's make sacrifices to make
sure that the water stays still Let's make sure that the god of
the earth doesn't cause earthquakes.
So, let's make sacrifices. And this God says, I'm the god
of the water, the Earth, the sky, the clouds fertility, all
of it, and not only that, I'm not in this to make you convince
me that you're worthy of my love.
I Delight in extending my grace, do you?
Tell me which other God is like this.
God He doesn't even stop there. He comes down to verse 17.
The third point, the second one was that he is setting his
affection on us. This God and thirdly, he is all
powerful and all compassion, at the same time for the Lord, your
God, I love this, this can be a worship song for the Lord.
Your God is, God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the
mighty, and the awesome. God, who is not partial and
takes no bride. He executes Justice for the
fatherless and the Widow and loves a Sojourner, giving him
food and clothing. You cannot bring an equal to
this God. Nothing or no one can match the
purity of his Holiness, the purity of his Justice, the
purity of his power. Nothing can withstand or out
with his will or his plan being implemented on the earth and
nothing in this world can ultimately say anything to him
to persuade him. To have their own way.
No matter how much bills they bring to the bank, he can't be
bribed. He can't be convinced.
He cannot be stirred or is turned concerning righteousness.
Now you hear something about this, kind of a God and you kind
of get the impression that he is mighty.
He is big. He is Holy but he doesn't seem
very approachable. Or you can go to the extreme to
say this God, he has his way this God, his will is done no
matter what in the end. So he sounds more like a
dictator than a father. He sounds like a force that
bulldozes over creation to make sure that he has his flag
planted on all Hills. But it doesn't say that because
Verse 18 tells us the tenderness of this.
God do not confuse God's power with coldness.
Do not confuse God's might with an uncaring spirit.
Do not confuse. God's awesomeness.
With a void of tenderness. Because look what it says he has
three people in mind this. Holy God has three types of
people on mind. The fatherless Verse 18 says,
the Widow and the Sojourner, the little child that doesn't have a
dad, he becomes her dad. The soldier that's traveling.
Void of things to maintain basic survival.
He's the provider. The wife that is aching because
their spouse passed away, he becomes their husband and
protection and provision this, God zooms into the world and he
becomes personal with these groups of people when we in our
sin, tend to even neglect and ignore these types.
It's no wonder. Look up.
Moses says in verse 21. He is your praise.
He's your praise like by the end of the segment of his sermon, he
comes to the conclusion. We goes, doesn't he as the
object of your adoration deserve it?
That he is your worship? He is your praise.
He is the source of your joy. He is the theme of your song.
He's the reason why you come even at the end of a week where
you're exhausted to say, you're still worthy of my praise
because of the things that we just unpacked.
He is your praise meaning, two things.
One is the object of all those things but to though he is these
things and gives these things, even if these things are
experience, not just in me but through me she still gets
praised. Do you know?
I mean by that because God's goodness it's not just things
being given to us. God's goodness is expressed with
things happening through us. Look at verse 22.
He says here, your father's went down to Egypt, 70 persons and
now the Lord, your God has made you as numerous as the stars of
Heaven. so this procreation, this multiplication of people,
That's a very human act, right? That's a very human thing that
is experienced between two people.
But as much as it might be between two people, God is
ultimately the one who provides it makes those things happen and
so he still my praise. Even if I accomplish anything
with my own body, with my own hands, with my own mind with my
own eyes, he's still the object of my praise.
He is still worthy of My Worship.
He gets all the glory in the end.
So, for weeks now we've been discovering different reasons
and different ways to maintain longevity.
In the blessings and the will and the plan for God in our
lives. So we come to this chapter,
Chapter 11. And this is where we are
concluding here. He does something interesting.
Moses wants us to consider other things.
Remember we've considered so many things up to this point.
Fear of God, love for God, the enemies outside the enemies
Within. My observance of the word of
God, rehearsing the word of God to my children.
Now, he comes to chapter 11 and he wants him to consider three
things, three more things. We're going to go through these
quickly maybe. Verse 1.
You shall therefore. Love the Lord, your God and keep
his charge. We've heard this so many times.
But how his statutes his rules and his Commandments, always
here it is, verse 2. And consider today since I'm not
speaking to your children who have not known or seen it
consider. Here's the first one.
There's three 3D's. Here's the first D.
Consider the discipline of the Lord.
Maybe he's giving them ingredients to know how to bring
these ingredients together and maximize longevity in the will
of God. And you know what, discipline is
not the primary meditation for many people who follow God in
their day-to-day walk. We love to meditate or many
things upon the Lord, but let's be honest.
Discipline is not one of them. But he says, considered
discipline consider God's chastisement.
Consider when God steps in as a father to correct his children.
And I want you to meditate on that.
And then he gives scenarios, he says different ones.
But here's to one main ones, he goes, his greatness, his mighty
hand and his outstretched arm. His signs in his deeds that he
didn't Egypt to pharaoh. I want you to meditate on what
happened to pharaoh. And how I dealt with him.
Really, yes, I want you to think about how Pharaoh was and how I
moved upon him and his Nation as an act of discipline.
What's the purpose of that? To keep me in line?
Not just that he goes on to explain the things that happened
in the wilderness and then he comes to a different place in
verse 6, and he was, and what he did to dathan and abiram, the
sons of Elijah, the sons of Reuben, how the Earth opened its
mouth and swallowed them up with their households.
That's not something that we would tend to meditate on.
If there's a story in the Bible to help us in our Holiness,
sanctification one of the things on my list would not be how the
Earth opened up and swallowed people alive and clothes on top
of them, but he Meditate on it. What did they send a Byram Cora
and Farrell have in common? I think one thing that they had
in common was this and this is what God has in mind with these
examples. That they fully knew the will of
God and they still chose to rebel against it.
Willfully. Did you hear that?
God disciplines Us in different ways.
And God knows exactly how to discipline us, but when it comes
to knowing the standard of God, knowing the word of God knowing
what God is doing, knowing what God is saying and then still
with my heart, come against it with my decisions.
I am in for a specific type of discipline that should keep us
in the fear of God, Pharaoh knew what God Said.
Let my people go and he did everything.
To not make that happen. Korah dathan.
And the guys with him knew that Moses and Aaron were the chosen
leaders. They knew God spoke to about
that. Made it so clear and yet they
still willfully rebelled against God's decision when we choose to
know God's word and go against it willfully.
We're entering into a realm of God's discipline that God warns
us about. And I thought about this just
studying it today, I was looking at this going and what he I mean
this happened back in numbers and he's still bringing it up
out of all the examples to bring up.
Remember this. And I thought to myself, is
probably good to go back and look at it for all of us to
remember what happened in that scene.
So go to number 16th with me quickly. what Cora and these
guys did was they rebelled against God's chosen Authority,
which is ultimately rebelling against God, But, you know, my
question about that is, why did they come to that place?
How did they come to that place? What was it within them that
caused them to come to a decision to say?
We are going to overthrow Moses and Aaron and we are going to
set up a new leader and we're going back to where we want to
go. And that's Egypt, it's
craziness. but I think that there are some lessons here to
remind ourselves because really it's Envy.
It's jealousy. Listen.
Have you known anybody that has Outburst of anger?
Well, we heard a lot of memes there.
It's not a fun thing to live with.
It's not a fun thing to know, somebody who has that talk about
outbursts of anger. It's like, I mean to the point
where you're scared to go to public with that kind of person.
You're scared that anything will set them off.
Somebody with anger issues. You know, the scripture says
that as atrocious as that is they the scriptures does a
contrast between anger and rage. But then it says, when it comes
to jealousy, but who can stand before jealousy, And the reason
why jealousy is so scary, I'll tell you why.
Anger, you might be able to point to external things that
might trigger somebody off, but when it comes to jealousy,
what's scary, is that person who is the object of one's, jealousy
is not doing anything wrong. They're just doing what God told
them to do. And yet there's still this
Monster within you, that wants to devour that person in your
mind and your thoughts. And so jealousies, and nasty
thing, unless by the spirit it comes and brings Deliverance.
These guys had a sense in which they did not realize anymore
that God is the one who chooses individuals for specific roles.
Look at verse 5 of number 16. When Moses heard it, he fell on
his face when he heard that they have come to rebel against them
and to overthrow the authority and he said to Cora and all this
company in the morning, the Lord will show who is his and who is
Holy and will bring him near to him.
The one whom he chooses he will bring near to him.
See, they failed to realize that it is God, who appoints?
It is God who anoints, it is, God who sets apart different,
people for different tasks and not just different people with
different tasks. Here, me very carefully.
God even appoints, the level of influence that they have.
So, we always limit this to God gifts you with a certain gift.
God gives her with a certain gift that's all true.
But even with that gift, look how Sovereign God is God,
determines the boundaries of their influence of how far and
how many people that gift will touch.
Say really, here's a verse second Corinthians. 2nd
Corinthians, 10:13. Look what Paul says.
In verse 13 of second Corinthians 10, but we will not
boast Beyond limits, but will boast only with regard to the
area of influence. God assigned to us, to reach,
even to. You is right there because
listen got assigned to us boundaries to wear influence of
our ministry. To the Gentiles will go and we
can't boast beyond that. God has given us this Outreach.
God has given us the ability. Come to you.
And so that's it. God assign that to us.
And so, what we begin to do is we can fall into jealousy when
we fail to realize that God is the one who appoints all this
stuff in the first place. And we have the right to pray
and ask the Lord. Lord broaden, the horizons of my
influence Lord. Let me let me touch as many
people as I can while I still have breath.
And God in his sovereignty. In his wisdom, knows how much we
can handle and who needs to be touched.
But these men have come to a place where they fail to realize
that it is God who appoints. Especially in a Ministry,
context, brothers and sisters. God is the boss. he hires, and
he fires, And it's a wonderful thing when God hires and he
exalts, and it's a scary thing. When God takes somebody, who is
in a place and brings them low. He's ultimately Sovereign all
this people worried all the time when they hear of something, how
can this person who's in Ministry do this and how can
person who has that kind of an influence do that, they're not
dealing with a human boss who is unaware of their Affairs in the
world. They're dealing with God.
And he assigns and he removes and he promotes and emotes.
It's all him. They've made this a merely human
thing. Now in verse 9, this is where
else they failed. It says here in verse 9 of
chapter 16. Look what Moses says in verse 8
and Moses said to Cora here. Now you sons of Levi, hold on
for a second. Okay.
These guys that were jealous and envious of Moses and Aaron, they
were sons of Levi. You know what the Levites were
instructed to do, right? Can anybody explain what the
Levites role was? The Levites.
So there are Levites who were priests?
But listen, not all Levites were priests.
You had people who had specific roles in which they handled the
actual artifacts and the furniture that dealt with
intercession and sacrifice. Then you had Levites who
assisted these men, And we're not primary, the ones handling
these things. So you have those who are
directly involved with it, and yet those who assisted The
priests they were those who are still within there were those
who carried part of the tent. They were there but look what
they failed to do. They fail to realize what honor
that was because he says in verse 9, is it too small.
A thing for you. That the god of Israel has
separated you from the congregation of Israel to bring
you near to himself to do the service in the Tabernacle the
Lord and to stand before the congregation to minister to them
and that he has brought you near to him.
And all your brothers are sons of Levi with you.
See what people go wrong is when they begin to look at their
Ministry or their life and they see it as a small thing and they
compared to somebody else, who seems to be doing a big thing.
And the go. What about my life?
I'm insignificant. What about what I'm doing?
I'm not touching, as many people.
I'm not as influential, I'm not as known.
See, when you begin to think that like that, you create a
breeding ground for covetousness and envy and jealousy.
And so the sons of Korah these Levites have come to that place
and it was a disaster for them but what I love about the sons
of Korah is that you read through numbers and you go
through the Old Testament you come to Psalms And you reach
something that is written by the sons of Korah.
And we sing it here sometimes and chapter 84.
Verse 10 for a day in your courts is better than a thousand
elsewhere. Look what they say.
Do you think this will relationship?
Absolutely. These are the sons of Korah who
did not join their father core in Rebellion.
We found out that the sons of Korah when God said hey separate
yourselves from their camps, walk away, you know who walked
away the sons of Korah I'm sorry Dad.
I love you. Mom.
I love you but if you're going to rebel against God I'm
standing with God. And so the sons of Korah many
years later, write this song and look what they say.
I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than to
dwell in the tents of wickedness.
You know what they're saying? God, I'm satisfied with whatever
Ministry you give me. Want to make me a doorkeeper.
Want to make me an usher. Want me to sweep the floor.
I don't need this. I don't need this.
I don't need no public. I don't need to be on the
camera. I don't need anything as long as
I know that I have your presence.
I'm satisfied. I'm satisfied.
See their fathers were concerned with position.
The suns were concerned with presence.
And when you begin to occupy your life, with position more
than presence, you are setting yourself up for disaster because
I guarantee when you get to the position, you will still feel
void. so that was going to be important for these guys to go
in, because One of the things that will destroy you
experiencing God's promises in your life is when you begin to
covet other people's and are not satisfied with him alone.
So now we come to the second D of chapter 11 one is considered
that this a plan of the Lord realize that God will do
something with my sin. If I'm Blatantly disobeying and
walking against the Lord, he will do something in his love.
I want you to think about something.
How do you know Jesus loves you? He died for you, absolutely.
Have you ever thought about this expression of God's love?
We don't think about it, but it's found in Revelations.
Chapter 3. We go to John 3:16.
Let's go to Revelation 3. Verse 19.
This is what Jesus has to a church.
I want you to think about this the next time you might
experience God's discipline in any shape or form.
Those whom I love I reprove and discipline.
That's it. Those whom I love.
I'm going to discipline. I'm going to rebuke.
I'm gonna deal with. See if you didn't love you and
me he would let us get away with our sin.
He would let us get away with our apathy.
Oftentimes, in meeting sometimes you see, people that listen are
severely dealt with by God because they have back slid and
they are crushed with conviction.
And I see that person standing before me, and I see tears, and
I see Guilt and remorse, but at the same time, I see a love from
God to not leave them in that condition.
But the conviction to the point where it hurts the core only to
bring them back into the center of his.
Will I just don't believe that. God loves me because he sent his
son, I know that, but I believe that even as I walk and I walk
away, God, Discipline me and that is his love.
He will do something with my Disobedience.
He will not keep me in it. Second D, that clock is frozen.
So you cannot blame me for going through late here.
Verse 10 and 11. Not just the discipline of the
Lord, consider the dependency. We have on the Lord.
He says, for the land that you are entering to take possession.
Of is not like the land of Egypt from which you have come where
you sold your seat and irrigated it like a garden of vegetables.
But the land that you are going over to possess as a land of
Hills and Valleys was drinks water by the rain from Heaven, a
land that the Lord your God cares for the eyes of the Lord,
your God are always upon it from the beginning of the year, to
the end of the year. We touch on this and Maranatha.
If you were That Isaac in the midst of a severe famine, wanted
to go back to Egypt. And you would think when the
famine affect that part of the Middle East as well, could have.
But there is a man-made water system that provided water,
because they were desert and they didn't have as much rain as
this part would And this is a beautiful concept because what
he's saying is, as you are entering into the promised land
as you are entering into from, I will for your lives.
This is what you inherit check this out because it's true in
the New Testament. You inherit a 24/7, guarantee,
surveillance, and Care from God. He says, when you come into this
land, when you come into my will, when you make a decision
to obey and to stay in where, I want you to be what you get with
that is year to year month to month week, to week day by Day.
Second-by-second eyes on you. Eyes on your needs eyes on
everything that you need for survival and joy.
I'm there. This is what you inherit. and
that's a wonderful thing, because That is what we have to
understand should be a motivation to Walking With
Jesus. So even if a man does come and
even if there's delay on rain, this is what.
I know he's there. I'm telling you guys, you have
to, we have to live with a conscious awareness that he is
really with me. Every single moment that is
life-changing that is life-changing.
See, Egypt is a system of the world that was working
independently from God's Aid. They were doing it their way,
they're doing it by their own strength.
And so things are happening. They didn't need to call out the
guard necessarily. But if you were here on last
Wednesday and prayer meeting Ezekiel tells us something about
this land, he gives description and I want to read it.
Ezekiel 20 verse 6. This is so beautiful.
He says, on that day, I swore to them, that I would bring them
out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for
them. God had searched out that land
for them. Listen, they sent spies.
Was that God's will? The people asked?
Moses to send spies? And God says, sure, but I
already did the searching. I don't know why you're going.
I already know your future. I already know what needs to be
provide. I know everything.
It's all set up for you. Why are you so scared?
Why do you feel like you need to walk in unbelief?
Why are you so fearful I searched out the land and then
look what. He says a land flowing with milk
and honey, the most glorious of all lands.
The most glorious of all lands. Do you know why it was glorious?
I believe, because what we read in Deuteronomy 11 because he's
watching over it. Day and night, night and day.
He's there that this geographical location is where
God wants to bring his presence and power to be made manifest.
So, you know what that means for us, in light of this study, that
when I am wondering, whether I want to walk in the fullness of
God, I really want to fully surrender.
I know this that whatever God has for me in that is the most
glorious plan. Is the most glorious thing he
has in light of my life, nothing less.
But Egypt has all this. I could care less.
What Egypt has or what Egypt has to offer.
The Bible tells me the center of God's will is the most glorious.
I've said it many times before and I'll say it.
Again, you can write down the best ideal concept of what your
life can be imagined. You had I want you to do this.
Imagine you had Limitless resources.
Imagine you can have any person in the world at your Choice.
Imagine you can have anything anything and you would write it
down on the list for the next 70 years of your life, 80 years,
whatever, that plan is whatever. God has is way more glorious.
I promise you. But he tells them to go into
this land. I love it because it was
creating a dependency upon them. So you can't rely necessarily on
these systems to create Waters to take care of your Gardens.
You need rain from heaven and so I'm bringing you here
geographically so that you would continually seek me, wait on me,
trust in me. Because, as much as we want,
God's will guess what God's will involves dependency?
Lastly, the last D, it's in verse 16 of chapter 11. and I
looked, He says here, take care. Lest your heart be here.
It is deceived. And you turn aside and serve
other gods and worship them. The first one was understanding
is discipline. The second one is understanding
my dependency. In the third.
One is understanding the possibility of my heart being
deceived. So he gives warning, he says
listen even in the midst of all of this goodness, because he
just goes on to describe how he will provide the former rain and
the later rain, and it's all going to be taken care of.
And then he inserts this warning yet, take care of that.
Your hearts, don't get caught up in deception and you turn aside
and follow other gods. You know what, I've always
wondered. How is it?
That people who experienced the goodness of God, who have tasted
his presence who's seen works of God?
Who are one time. So in the will of God, Think
turn aside. How do they go into another
Direction? And now they're fully blatantly
serving other gods, many reasons.
And here's one of them deception.
Because it says, beware lest your heart, be deceived and then
you turn aside and follow other gods.
So it didn't start with turning aside.
And then deception came. It was deception that made them
turn aside. They believe something to be
true when it was blatantly false and they bought the LIE, they
were convinced of it and they headed toward a direction that
pull them away from truth. So, big reason for why many
people can turn away is because deception has crept in and
convince them of a truth that was actually false and they
bought it. Do you realize that Temptation
within itself? Is a deception.
Every time it presents itself. Every time sin comes up and says
taste it. Every time sin comes is open
every time, the sin comes and says, look for it every time
since it's just do it. Every time it's deception.
And that pull that you feel within that that pull that
you're getting in that moment, what it's saying to you, is this
sin is better than God. Every time.
And what people do is that they open themselves up to deception,
do you realize why we have to get into the word of God every
day? Every moment I can, yes, we have
other things to do, but I must give something to the Lord in
order to filter my heart from deception.
To give myself to understanding. What truth is that when
Deception comes? I can identify and laser beam it
out of my system. Because Hebrews 3:13 tells us
that our hearts can be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.
And so, the antidote to that is truth and remaining in the
truth. And that goes back to other
things. That Moses said, rehearsing the
word of God coming to the word of God, washing ourselves with
the word of God, lest our hearts, be susceptible to lies
and me walking in those lies. And I'm going to end on that
note to say this. That maybe you're in this place.
And your heart is turned away from God.
Because you believe the lie. About a substance about a
person, but a way of life about who God is, but what this whole
Christian experience is about. You have bought into a lie that
has made you turn aside to follow other gods.
I declare to you on this Friday night as many people in here.
Now, That walking in the fullness of the will of God is
more glorious than what you're experiencing.
And that every time Temptation presents itself, people of God.
You and I must realize, but obedience to him is much more.
Glorious waiting on him is much more glorious trusting in Him is
much more glorious. If you're in this place tonight
and your heart is not fully set on living for Christ
surrendering to Christ. Can you ask yourself this
question? And I encourage you people of
God to ask people. This question in evangelism in
your witness to your family, your friends always ask this
question, it's a beautiful question.
You heard the gospel? Yes.
What's holding you back from saying yes?
Just ask that. And see how people come into
bewilderment. See how people in the moment you
will see it most of the time. People just the lights are
turning out due to do and they realize If they're honest with
themselves, they will begin to cough up answers.
And if they are not one of the best answers, you can get, is
this nothing. Nothing's holding me back.
Then do you want to follow Jesus Christ surrender to him?
Yeah. Yeah, I do.
But I want to ask you that question in your heart.
What's holding you back from surrendering to him all over
again? Whatever it is.
According to this Bible study. Who God is and what God has for
you is so much better. Promise you with the authority
of the scriptures, not my opinion.
So tonight guys, I understand some are tired.
Some are weary some are ready to get in the cars and go home for
a good night's sleep. But can we do one more thing
before we do that? Scripture tells us in verse 21
and chapter 10, he is your praise in light of how good he
has been. And that's what we're going to
do right now seek his face and just tell him one more time Lord
you are good and your worthy of my affection.
You bow your heads tonight. Do we choose to read this verse
in light of addressing you tonight?
And we see here that you tell us For the Lord, your God is, God
of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the
awesome. God, who is not partial and
takes, no bribe, he executes Justice for the fatherless and
the Widow and loves the Sojourner, giving him food and
clothing. Lori read in verse 14,
addressing you behold. To the Lord, your God belong,
Heaven, and the heaven of heavens.
The Earth with all that is in it yet.
The Lord said his heart and love on you.
Your father's chose their offspring, after them you Above
All Peoples as you are this day. God we choose to really believe
this tonight and we pray that you would receive our praise in
light of it. Father, we pray for the person
whose heart might have turned away and deception.
May they know right now that you are ready to receive them.
You are ready to see them. Come into your Arms and
fellowship rest or lured, by the finished work of Jesus Christ.
Let them know that tonight, let them know that tonight that if
they were one who walk with you, but walked away that you giving
this word, as an act of discipline, to convict him to
bring to that, place of restoration and Reconciliation,
speak to your people. Lord, speak to your people, by
your spirit. Now exactly what we need to hear
about Lord, may you receive this from all people here.
And that is praise. We ask these things in Jesus
name. Amen.